The Department of education is one of the most important departments of the Central Tibetan Administration. It is responsible for educating Tibetan refugee children in both traditional and modern forms of education. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s dream is to nurture Tibetan students who are not only sharp intellectually, but also responsible community members and world citizens.

 Over the last fifty years, the Department of Education has done a commendable job of establishing various schools and educating thousands of Tibetan students who have successfully graduated from their schools and gone on to pursue higher education in universities around the world. Many alumni ofTibetan schools administered by the Department or recipients of Department scholarships are now serving the Tibetan community in various capacities—as parliamentarians, civil servants, teachers, doctors, journalists, activists, lawyers and so on.

 The challenge now is to further improve the exile education system and provide access to higher education to all Tibetans. Education is a key priority for the current Tibetan administration. One of our goal is to significantly expand the base of Tibetan professionals holding advance degrees in fields such as medicine, science, mathematics, engineering, law, business, etc.

This group of educated professionals have a vital role to play in our struggle to restore freedom in Tibet. We are fortunate that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has kindly given us his blessing in this regard.

 Whatever I have achieved today in life is because of the education I received first from a Tibetan school and then higher education in India and in the United States. I am well aware of the challenges and opportunities Tibetans students encounter on the path to receiving quality education and becoming a successful professional. As the Education Kalon, I am committed to bringing about much-needed reforms in our education system and creating an enabling environment where pursuit of learning is encouraged and quality education is available to all Tibetans.

I take this opportunity to pay my deep respect and admiration to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his vision to educate Tibetan children both in the traditional and modern fields of studies. Without his leadership and guidance, the exile Tibetan education system would not be where it is today. I also thank all the dedicated staff, teachers, and donors of the Department of Education. Your hard work, sacrifice and support have played a key role in the Department’s work and success. Dr. Lobsang SangayKalon for Department of Education